Spotlight on Hin Daeng and Hin Muang diving

Hin Daeng (aka Red Rock) and Hin Muang (aka Purple Rock) dive sites are right up there with the best dive sites in all of Thailand. They are two deep pinnacle dive sites close to Koh Lanta in the south Andaman sea. They are reachable from November to May by day trip speed boat from Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta or by liveaboard from Phuket.

They are two absolutely excellent dive sites in fact many divers would argue that they are better than even than the Similan Islands, certainly on a par. They do not always have the perfect visibility of the Similan Islands, they are of limestone formation rather than granite. Their big advantage over the Similan Islands is that fewer divers go there.

These large pinnacles start at the surface and descend down below recreational scuba diving limits. The rocks are a few hundred meters apart so in theory divers could dive from Hin Daeng to Hin Muang and back again along the ridge that joins them together but it’s very deep, we don’t know any one who’s tried it. The combined Hin Daeng Hin Muang diving location is an open ocean meeting point for all nearby marine life to come and feed and be cleaned at cleaning stations. That includes manta rays. Both Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are covered in colourful soft corals and seafans and deserve multiple dives, even multiple days although most liveaboards just spend one day before heading to Koh Haa.

Currents can be strong and visibility is variable. Far fewer boats visit these dive sites that the Similan Islands, which is a bonus. A few days around Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Koh Haa is a perfect compliment to a Similan Islands liveaboard.

Experienced snorkelers can also enjoy the top few metres of Hin Daeng Hin Muang, if manta rays are present they tend to stay shallow for all to see, actually we often see then break the water here.